Colored Pencil Shell Study on Wood Panel

I drew this colored pencil piece on an 8x10" Blick Studio Wood Panel  with a 7/8" thickness. I like the smooth surface of the wood and it does not have to be sanded or primed to accept colored pencil. I selected three shells with different shapes and colors and decided how to arrange them on the surface. It took a little bit of figuring how I wanted them to look compositionally. 

First I drew the outlines with lead pencil and added some of the details to help me when adding color. I used Caran d'Ache Luminance and Prismacolor colored pencils to create this piece. The wood is soft so a softer pencil works really well on the surface. I was also able to build up layers easily. 

My drawing kind of evolved, I intertwined the shells and later put in a soft background suggesting sand and sky. 

The fixative/varnish is a three-part process. First I spray the drawing with Krylon UV Resistant Clear, two coats letting the first dry for 15 minutes. Secondly I spray the drawing with two coats of Krylon Kamar Varnish letting each dry for about 30 minutes in between. You may stop here and perhaps spray one more coat. I like a glossier finish so I add a third step. that is to apply Golden Polymer Varnish with UVLS. I mix one part varnish with two parts of water to thin the varnish so it can be easily brushed on with a soft bristle brush. I work in one direction when brushing on varnish and let it sit for about two hours until completely dry before adding another layer. The layers are thin and I keep adding additional layers until I like the shine. This drawing probably has about 8 layers of the polymer varnish. 

 

Coffee? Or Tea?

These are my latest small works in colored pencil. These are four 6x6" Utrecht Artists Wood Panels made of smooth basswood. I don't prime the surface, it will accept colored pencil very well although layers are limited to about three or more if using a very light pressure. My designs are transferred on using the image transfer method which I outlined in this previous blog entry. I use the transfer to skip the drawing step and add colored pencil directly onto the transfer, then I play with the background design for each cup. When I am finished I spray with two good coats of Krylon UV Resistant Clear and then brush on five coats of Golden UVLS Polymer Varnish, letting each coat dry in between. I photographed them together but will display them separately.

These two photos are of an exhibit I went to called Paper-Made at the Jamestown Arts Center, Jamestown, RI. These are two photos of an overall view of the largest gallery. Eighteen regional, national and international artists were selected for this wonderful exhibit of works all made of paper. The curator states the paper art is an emerging global phenomenon and as an artist who works on paper, I am intrigued by the use of papers as a form of 2D and 3D sculpture. This exhibition has given me the inspiration to create another hand made book.

Coffee and Tea

I did an colored pencil demo for Hope Gallery during the Bristol/Warren Art Night last week. I brought samples of my smaller works and did a demo of colored pencil and solvent on 6x8" cradled Ampersand Gessobord. My subject is the pair of red sneakers which are in front of me and I am also working from a photo of them. The lighting and the shadows in the photo are just the way I want them to be and that way I can keep the lighting consistent if I work in different locations. Approximately 80 visitors came to the gallery while I was there, many were friends or fellow artists and I really appreciated the wonderful turnout. I must also thank Krzysztof Matthews for taking this photo of me and give him the photo credit.

Here are three 6x6" image transfer and colored pencil drawings I have done on Utrecht wood panels. The question I am asked most is if I prepare the wood and the answer is no, I work directly on the wood. First I transfer my black and white image on the wood as I described in this post, and then I work right over it with colored pencil. I added backgrounds to the coffee cups and left the natural wood background behind the tea cup and pot showing. These three pieces are hanging at Angelina's coffee shop in Bristol, RI during the month of July along with several other works by myself and other CPSA members from New England; Debbi Friedman, Naomi Aho, Kathie Miranda, Kathy Clericuzio and Liz Patterson.

More Beach Dunes on Wood and Upcoming Colored Pencil 2-Hour Workshop

I've just completed two more colored pencil on wood pieces for my beach dune series. The top piece Beach Grasses is 8x8" and includes image transfer under the colored pencil. I took my photo of the beach grasses, sized it to 8x8" and made it black and white. I put the black and white image into PhotoShop and lightened it quite a bit then used the Dry Brush Filter to manipulate the lights and darks into shapes. I then reverse the image and print it out on my laser printer. I tape the image onto the wood and rub the back of it with a Chartpak colorless blender marker, which smells like crazy so it's better to be around good ventilation. I sometimes need to go back over certain areas more than once and because the image is taped, it's easy to lift and check the progress. When I'm done, I have a good black and white image that I can pencil on top of and because I reversed the image it is now the correct orientation of my photo. This makes it quicker to apply colored pencil, you skip the step of drawing and the grays of the transfer make a nice underpainting.

The second piece Purple Skies is 12x12" and is drawn freehand in pencil before adding the colored pencil. I have varnished both of these pieces with Golden UVLS Polymer Varnish, brushed on 4 coats, letting each coat dry at least a half hour before applying the next.

COLORED PENCIL ON NOTECARDS WORKSHOP
I will be teaching a 2-hour colored pencil class on Friday evening, July 19 from 6-8 p.m. at Hope Gallery in Bristol, RI. The cost is $40 and all materials are included. Students will be creating notecards or postcards in colored pencil. Subject matter is optional, scenery or still life which I will also supply. For more information contact Anita at Hope Gallery (401) 396-9117 or email trez88@aol.com.